Receptacle cover



vM.1rh15,1938. Racumls 2,111,359

RECEPTACLE COVER Filed Feb. 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet` 1 @Mug/firm Figi U ,11,111,111 w1 )7% Wfl/@ March 15,1938. R G CUR-.|15 2,111,359

RECEPTACLE COVER Filed Feb. 13, 1937 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i5 IZ 1% /Z l5 i617 f il 5 15 2, 1mm 20 21 24 f M I H914 l ,A

[IZ ,5 /f

' 19 MKV za z5 A y 31a/116Mo@ Fl# 5 l/wamt'f UNl'l'E "l rial ti FFlQE RECERTACLE COVER Rowland Curtis, Dover, (Ehio,

assigner to Reeves Steel and Manufacturing Company, .a

corporation or Ohio Application February 13, 1937, Serial No. 125,581

8 Claims.

The invention relates to receptacles provided with removable self-locking covers and more parkticularly to the covers for garbage cans and the like where it is desirable to prevent lifting or removal of the cover either by the force of the wind or by dogs or other animals attempting to get at the contents of the receptacle.

The invention relates more especially to the particular type of covers having a pivoted handle mounted near one side of the cover and provided. with an inturned latch portion extended through an opening in the depending rim oi the cover and adapted to engage beneath the usual rim bead of the receptacle to normally hold the cover locked upon the receptacle unless handle is raised by the operator for the purpose of removing the cover.

It is known that covers of this general type have been produced in the past, such as Loel r Patent No. 1,358,380, which required an inclined wedge housing upon the rim of the cover to house the handle latch and wedge the same downward into locked position; Locher Patent No. 1,856,877 which provides an outwardly bulged recess to receive the latch portion of the pivotally and slidably mounted gravity actuated 1^.; Loeber Patent No. 1,884,763 which profes a spring operated latch handle; and Jamison Patent No. 1,961,223 which provides struck-out recesses in the cover rim to receive the latch porn tion of the handle.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improvement upon the various structures above referred to whereby a simple and easily operated handle latch is provided which is grew ity actuated and will automatically lock when the cover is placed upon the receptacle and autoW matically unlock when the handle is raised to remove the cover, without recur .ig any outwardly projecting housing or recess in the dopending rim flange of the cover to receive the latch portion of the handle when the same moved to the unlocked position..

This may be accomplished by providing wardly disposed projections upon opposite 'les of the opening in the rirn ange the coY r adapted to engage the rim bead of the receptacle and hold this portion of the rim iiange oF the cover suiciently spaced therefrom to pei the latch portion of the handle to clear the riin head of the receptacle.

It is also found desirable to concave the inner end of the latch portion of the handle upon suhstantially the same radius as the rirn bead of the receptacle so as to more easily clear the same.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings and following description or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved receptacle cover in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figui-e l is a side elevation of a receptacle provided with a cover constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged top plan View of the same with a portion of the cover broken away;

Fig. 3, a fragmentary transverse sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3. Fig. 2, showing the cover in locked position upon the reM ceptacle;

Fig. 4, a similar view showing the manner in which the cover remains locked when the same is tilted upon the receptacle;

Fig. 5,'a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4, showing the manner in which the cover is unlocked from the receptacle by raising the handle;

Fig. 6, a fragmentary sectional view taken as on the line l-, Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7. a fragmentary sectional view taken as on the line l-l, Fig. 6.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the drawings,

The self-locking cover comprising the invention is adapted to be employed upon a common forni of receptacle indicated generally at ld, such as a garbage can` or the like. As is common in the construction of receptacles or cans of this character, the side wall of the same adjacent to its open` upper end is provided with an outwardly extending reinforcing bead i l which performs the usual function of strengthening and reinforcing the open upper end of the can and also serves as a means to be engaged by the locking devices associated with the cover and comprising the present invention.

The receptacle and cover are both illustrated in the drawings as being of circular form since this is the customary shape for such receptacles, but it should be understood that the cross section of both the receptacle and cover may be of any other suitable or desired shape without departing fro-rn the spirit of the invention.

The cover l2 for the can may he given any suitable and usual contour as by stamping or otherwise, so as to be properly reinforced, and is provided with the usual depending peripheral flange i3 adapted to extend downwardly over the rim bead I l of the can.

similar parts The inner dimensions of the rim ange I3 of the cover are such that sufficient clearance is provided to permit the cover to be easily placed upon and removed from the can without binding and yet not too much clearance so that the latching handle forming an important part of the invention may not function; while at the same time the cover will fit tightly upon the can when in the closed position. This may best be accomplished by slightly ilaring the rim flange outward toward its lower edge as shown in the drawings.

The handle which forms a part of the invention is indicated generally at I4 and may be formed of a section of flat strip metal pivotally connected at its upper end to the upper side of the cover, This pivotal connection is preferably made by means of a securing rivet I5 xed to the top of the cover and having a shank I6 of smaller diameter than the aperture I'I in the handle, through which it extends and of a height considerably greater than the thickness of the handle I4, whereby the handle is loosely pivoted to the cover.

The outer portion of the handle i4 is bent downwardly as at I 8 and terminates in an inwardly disposed latching portion reduced in width at a point spaced from its end as shown at I 9 and received in an elongated vertical slot 20 formed in the rim flange I3 and radially aligned with the rivet I5. By reducing the width of the handle adjacent to its end, laterally projecting ears 2| are formed upon the inwardly disposed lower end or latching portion of the handle for engagement with the inner surface of the rim flange I3 of the cover to prevent displacement of the handle in the slot 20.

The lower inwardly disposed end of the handle is concaved as shown at 22, upon substantially the same radius as the rim bead II of the receptacle, so as to more easily clear the same when the cover is placed upon or removed from the can, as will be later described.

Inwardly disposed projections 2t! are provided upon the rim ilange at each side of the vertical slot 20 and are preferably of slightly greater transverse diametrical depth than the transverse diametrical dimension of the ears 2l upon the end of the handle and preferably taper down toward the lower edge of the rim flange. These projections may be formed in any desired manner but for the sake of simplicity and cheapness, it is preferable that they be formed by inwardly stamping or pressing portions of the rim flange.

Preferably at a point on the rim flange I3 diametrically opposite to the slot 20, some means such as the spring strip 24 must be provided to project inwardly for a distance suilicient to engage beneath the underside of the bead II of the can and prevent dislodgrnent of the cover upon this side of the can. This spring strip is a common form of device used for this purpose and may be connected intermediate its ends to the flange I3 as by rivets 25, the opposite ends of the strip 24 extending beneath the bead il.

The operation of the improved latching means may be briefly described as follows: Assuming that the cover I2 is placed upon the can in the manner shown in Figs. l and 3, the handle I4 will drop by gravity to the position best shown in Fig, 3, the lower inner end or latching portion thereof being substantially in contact with the side wall of the can at a point directly below the rim bead I I thereof.

Any attempt to remove the cover from the can, without grasping and pulling upward upon the handle I4, will be opposed by the latching portion of the handle, including the ears 2I, engaging the underside of the bead II as shown in Fig. 4.

If, however, the handle I4 is raised to the position shown in Fig. 5, the latching portion 2I of the handle will be received between the inwardly disposed projections 23 of the rim flange, which will thus space the latching end of the handle sufficiently from the bead II of the can to permit the same to clear as the cover is raised. The conoaved inner end 22 of the handle provides further clearance so that no portion of the handle will engage the bead I I as the cover is raised from the can.

I claim:

l. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending rim flange extending downwardly over said bead, a manipulating and latching handle pivotally secured at its upper end to the cover, the lower end. of the handle extending through a vertical slot in the rim ilange, a projection on the lower end of the handle securing the same in Said slot, yand an inwardly disposed projection on the rim flange at each side of the upper end of the slot, said inwardly disposed projections being of slightly greater depth than the projection on the handle.

2. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending rim flange extending downwardly over said bead, a manipulating and latching handle pivotally secured at its upper end to the cover, the lower end of the handle extending through a vertical slot in the rim flange, a projection on the lower end of the handle securing the same in said slot, and an inwardly disposed projection on the rim flange at each side of the upper end of the slot, said inwardly disposed projections being of slightly greater depth than the projection on the handle and tapered toward the lower edge of the rim flange.

3. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending rim flange extending downwardly over said bead, a manipulating and latching handle pivotally secured at its upper end to the cover, the lower end of the handle extending through a vertical slot in the rim ilange, a projection on the lower end of the handle securing the same in said slot, the lower end of the handle being concaved upon substantially the same radius as said bead, and an inwardly disposed projection on the rim ilange at each side of the upper end of the slot, said inwardly disposed projections being of slightly greater depth than the projection on the handle.

4. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending, outwardly flared rim flange extending downwardly over said bead, a manipulating and latching handle pivotally secured at its upr end to the cover, the lower end of the handle extending through a vertical slot in the rim flange, a projection on the lower end of the handle securing the same in said slot, and an inwardly disposed projection on the rim flange at each side of the upper end oi the slot, said inwardly disposed projections being of slightly greater depth than the projection on the handle.

5. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending rim flange extending downwardly over said bead and of slightly greater diameter than the external diameter* of said external bead, a manipulating and latching handle movably mounted upon the cover, the lower end of the handle exten-ding between the side wall of the receptacle and the rim iiange of the cover and Comprising a locking projection normally positioned beneath said external bead, and an inwardly disposed projection on the rim flange at the side of said lecking projection, and of slightly greater transverse diametrieal depth than the transverse diametrical dimension of said locking projection.

6. The combination with a receptacle having an external bead adjacent to its open end, of a cover for said receptacle having a depending rim flange extending downwardly over said bead and of slightly greater diameter than the external diameter of said external bead, a manipulating and latching handle movably mounted upon the cover, the lower end of the handle extending between the side wall of the receptacle and the rim ange of the Cover and Comprising a locking projection normally positioned beneath said external bead, and an inwardly disposed projection on the rim ila-nge at each side of said locking projection, and of slightly greater transverse diametrical depth than the transverse diametrical dimension of said locking projection.

ROWLAND G. CUR'IIS. 

